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A new initiative to cover the skills gap

In order to remain globally competitive, the UK’s automotive industry is always in need of new, skilled staff. Many businesses and organisations in the sector have taken steps to educate and recruit people, building the workforce of the future. As part of this, some of the world’s leading automotive brands have joined forces to launch the Automotive Apprenticeship Matching Service.

The automotive sector has always provided plenty of apprenticeship opportunities for school leavers, but this new venture will take it a step further and help to cover the current shortage of skills in key areas such as engineering. It involves such well-known employers as Jaguar, Honda, BMW, Nissan, Vauxhall and many more, alongside the UK government, skills organisation Semta and the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

The function of the interactive Matching Service is to direct talented young people away from crowded areas of the automotive market to other companies with similar opportunities, ensuring that people’s skills are used in the areas where they will be most beneficial, both for the company and for the candidate. This means that when someone applies for an apprenticeship in a company with no vacancies, they can refer them to the Matching Service for an alternative solution rather than having to simply turn them away. The prospective apprentices will be given full support throughout the whole application process, ensuring that they are matched with positions that suit them.

Every year, the service will help as many as 10,000 candidates to gain an apprenticeship in an area of the automotive industry. It is expected that the automotive supply chain will be one of the areas which benefits the most from this scheme. Eventually, the strategy may broaden to include other industries, boosting employment in many areas and sectors throughout the UK.

As automotive recruitment specialists, we will follow this story with interest and look forward to seeing how it helps to address shortages in the industry. Whatever happens, we will continue to offer the finest recruitment services to help candidates and companies to achieve their goals.